Monthly Archives: December 2006

My hair is short. Ok, it’s not short…but it’s short for me. Well, shorter. I had mom trim it while I was home as I have her do every 4 months. I felt like I needed to have quite a bit trimmed off this time, as I usually do. She typically won’t cut as much as I want her to, she says I don’t need it. This time she did it and I feel like it’s so much shorter. Oh well, it will grow.

Monday night I somehow got talked in to going out…which is pretty easy to do if I’m not too worried about school…and at this point there is none, so I went out. I, however, had to be at work at 8am Tuesday, so I said I wasn’t going to stay out past midnight. I got home about 5:15. I went to sleep at 5:45, got up at 6:45 and went to work. We were supposed to open at 8. I got there about 8 and the store wasn’t open yet. So, I sat on the bench outside the store after about 20 minutes I decided to go get some breakfast. Chick-fil-a always sounds good and I am always disappointed by it when I get it. So I took it back down and ate half of it on the bench. Then threw the rest of it away. The pop wasn’t even good. I sat there until 9. I even called Mom to ask her if I should stay. She said I should…but what would that do? I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t open the store. During the time that I sat there I sent Amanda (the assistant manager) a text message that simply asked “do you know who’s opening today?” She never opens, so I didn’t want to wake her. I don’t have Jared’s phone number, he’s the manager and the one who normally opens and the day before I’d been at the outlet mall where the manager there said he was helping us out the next day. I thought maybe there had been some miscommunication or something. That and I really didn’t want to work since I hadn’t slept. At 9 I got a piece of paper out of my purse and wrote “Amanda and/or Jared, I was here at 8 to open but no one else was. Amanda didn’t answer and I don’t have Jared’s phone number. It’s 9, I’ve been here for an hour and I’m going to go home. Call me when you want me to come back.”

I went home and went to sleep for about an hour. At 11:30 Amanda called me nearly in tears. She said she was at the store and would probably get fired over this. I asked her if she wanted me to come back. She said yes, so I got up, dropped something off at the post office and went back to work. I had her add the hour I sat outside into my time and that was that. The other manager who was helping out was supposed to be there at 2:30, he was not and we didn’t have his phone number. At 2:45 I called the outlet to get his number and he was there. Apparently the night before his boss had told Jared that he wasn’t going to be able to make it because of something they had going on at their store. Amanda got really upset and started crying again. By that point she’d been asked to put in her 2 weeks. They would have just fired her, but they fired the key holder for the same thing about a month ago and haven’t found a replacement yet. They can’t have just one manager at the store. Plus, he’s going to NJ for Christmas. Anway, when I told her he wasn’t coming she got really upset and said she needed to go somewhere. She’s not supposed to leave the store, but I didn’t really have a choice. She was gone for a little over an hour. During that time I needed her twice. Once for a return and once for a price adjustment. She wouldn’t answer her phone and Jared wasn’t answering his. When she got back they were both waiting for her. She had on different clothes than she had left in. Grr. While she was gone another “part timer” came in and was a little uncomfortable with me being the only one in the store…as I was. She didn’t want me to leave cause she was worried Amanda would leave again and really, I can’t blame her. I was only supposed to be there until 4 though and Amanda kept asking me to stay later. Finally, I said I had to go and left about 5:30.

I feel bad like I could have done more than just send her a text message. I feel like I could have kept her from getting fired, but Dad said that I sent her a text message. That should have woken her up. Then, to put it in to perspective, I slept for an hour and was still there on time and ready to go. She blames not being there on staying at work late the night before and setting her alarm for PM. That stinks and I feel bad, but I was there at 8. I still feel bad.

I would just like to take this time to express to you how much I hate the dentist. I can’t go there without having at least one cavity. Today I had 2. It’s been 4 months since I was last at the dentist. I brush twice a day and floss once. I would now like to take this time to thank my mother. I have her teeth. I also have her eyes…and her butt. The butt I can work off. The teeth and the eyes I have no control over. Urg!!! Every time I go to the eye doctor my vision is worse, but that doesn’t bother my so much because they don’t have to drill into my eyes…I just get fun glasses or new contacts. No problem. I hate going to the dentist. I can either go and get cavities filled regularly…or I can not go and let my teeth rot. Hmm…decisions, decisions.

Tonight I exchanged gifts with Natashia and Athena since I probably won’t see them again before Christmas. I gave Natashia a tank top and pj pants from VS. The tank top said “Wish List: -boyfriend -diamonds -shoes” It’s cute. She gave me a gift card to VS. I gave Athena a flannel pj set from VS with stars all over it. So her. She gave me a C.S. Lewis book which I am excited to read. Yay! Good times and good friends. All my other shopping is done too! I got brother’s today, had half of Mom’s and got the other half today (she has super curly hair – brother and I are getting her a straightener…not Chi though…it’s Paul Mitchel), Dad’s I’ll get Friday at home. Oh, and I put 2 in the mail earlier this week. One arrived today and the other will arrive tomorrow.

Yesterday was my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary. Congratulations to them! I could not for the life of me figure out what to get for them…until 2 days ago. Mom always wants to take a recent family pic and says we never have on. Easter of ’05 Athena took one of us with the dog and I just don’t think Mom realizes it exists. I think I’m the only one with copies. Today I went and got 4 color and 4 black and white copies printed. I went to Target, found frames and am giving them the framed picture for their anniversary. They can put it in the house or in their offices. Good gift. Point me!

Sunday night I was on the phone with P and needed to go to the grocery store. When I got in my car I noticed it sounded funny when I was driving…there was a faint thump. I told him that it’s what I imagine a flat tire would sound like. He told me I should stop and check. I was less than a block from home though, so I just checked it when I got there. All my tires were fine. Not even low. Then Monday, George and I decided to go to the outlet mall. As we were getting on the highway we heard this weird pop noise, but that was it so we didn’t think much of it. My car drove fine and when we got to the mall, again, all my tires were fine. We diid our shopping and checked things out and decided to go to Double Dave’s for lunch. Not so fast.

When we got out to my car my rear, driver’s side tire was flat. Not kinda flat. Flat flat. Ok, fine, get the spare out of the trunk, put it on, go to Discount Tire where it’s guaranteed and get it fixed, then go to Double Dave’s for lunch. Get the spare tire out, it’s not flat. Good. Tools. Where are the tools? No tools to be had in my car. One of two things happened to them. When I got hit in April and my car got fixed either they took them or Dad took them out for some reason this summer when they had my car. Either was I had no way to get my lugnuts off. I freaked out for a minute and thought my locking lugnut key was with them. Thank God it was in my glove compartment.

So I called Dad to ask him what to do. He said to go ask the mall if they had a security guard who could come help me. They called this old, Barney Fife looking man who came out and was no help, but delightfully condescending. He was such an ass to me and wouldn’t help. He said if he helped and messed up my car I’d want to sue him, sue the mall, the owners, etc. I hate people like that. Then he kept asking me stupid questions and treating me like I was retarted. I wanted to tell him I was fine, I’d figure it out, could he please leave. Grr. While he was being no help and we were trying to figure out what to do this country guy walked by and asked if we needed any help. We said yes and explained that we had nothing to change the tire with. We tried his wrench, but it was way too big for my lugnuts. He, however, had wrenches in the tool box in the bed of his truck. Yes! He used a socket wrench to fit over my lugnuts and a regular wrench with the round end hooked around the handle of the socket wrench for some leverage. He broke one socket wrench and after about 20 minutes got the lugnuts loose with another. Then he used the wrench to raise the jack, because the rod you use to raise that was also not in my car. Wtf?!?

While he was changing trying unsuccessfully to get the lugnuts off (it took him probably 30 minutes) George called AAA, which she is a member of and I’m not. They were on their way when he got them loosened. She called and cancelled them. Mom called me right when we were trying to figure out what to do and was asking me questions about the trumpet I played in high school. I didn’t know the answers to her questions and didn’t care to think about it. I was getting really annoyed with her unending questions and finally snapped at her. I told her I didn’t know, I didn’t care and that I had a flat tire and had to go. I’d call later. Goodbye.

Once we got the lugnuts off the tire still wouldn’t come off. I called Dad and asked him how to get it off. He asked how we got the lugnuts off. I said, “there’s a man with a really big wrench here helping us.” George looked at me and busted out laughing, then the man (whose name we never asked) laughed. I think Dad was trying not to. I didn’t catch what I had said until later. Dad said there was probably rust build up between the wheel and whatever else. He said to kick it at 3 or 9 o’clock and that should loosen it up. I told him I wasn’t wearing shoes I could kick something in. He asked what I was wearing and I said little ballet slipper looking things. Again, I got laughed at. The man gave me a really weird look. Whatever. He told me to turn around and kick it with my heel. “Oh, like a horse would kick you?” Again…weird looks. Haha. Whatever, we got off the phone, kicked the tire and off it came. The man said, “Daddy knows.” and that was that. He put the spare on for us and we thanked him profusely. Yay.

George followed me back to my place where we picked up her truck. The whole way here I couldn’t go more than 50 but had to take the highway. I sure did have a long ass line of traffic behind me. It was quite entertaining. We got her truck, dropped my car off, and went and got pizza. The buffet had just begun. Woohoo! Good timing. At 6 we went back and got my car and that was that. Long day.

In the last week and a half I turned in two 20 page papers, 15 abstracts, an ad critique journal, a take home exam consisting of around 20 essays, and my final portfolio consisting of 9 ads and a UFO made of duct tape and frisbees. I spent somewhere around $250 on school stuff and got $14 for selling my books back; one of which I never took out of its plastic. During this time I also put in over 20 hours a week of work at my job. Friday afternoon my final paper and take home exam were both due at 4pm. I had to work at 3. I got everything in by about 1:45, got ready for work and worked 3-7. Then I came home, hung out a bit and went out with the girls. I expected to have a crazy fun night, it was alright. Last night was more of the crazy fun…I was out til 5 and had to work at 8. Oops. Haha.

So I’ve spent the last 2 days trying to relax some. I’ve cleaned, I’ve cooked…I’ve been all domestic. Cookies, chili, and lasagna so far. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do with all of my break. I have off work cause I’d planned to go to NY, but that’s not happening, so now I just have a month off of school and 2 weeks off work. Books. I need to read books. I want to try to get through 3. The plane trips to and from NY the weekend before school starts will help that. Advertising books I think…and C.S. Lewis. We will see.

Oh, and I’ve decided I can’t go out without falling down. A couple weeks ago I fell where the sidewalk dipped down to the road (I stepped wrong on my tall, skinny heel), Friday night my shoe lost traction and slipped out from under me while I was crossing Congress, then last night I was trying to walk down to the lake and stepped wrong and fell. I feel like I fell another time last night too. It was a long night, I don’t know. Anyhow, I’m excited about my month off. I will write more. I promise.